Verse – Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.
Devotional
Do you know that the only reason you have been saved is by grace?
Through your faith in Christ and what He did for you, your spirit has been imparted with righteousness. Just as one deposits money into another’s account, God has deposited righteousness into your account so you therefore cannot be in debt to death anymore. The wages for your sins have been paid for in full by Christ.
Some may argue that salvation comes through faith in Christ, but have you considered that even your faith in Christ is a conscious decision you made? Therefore, if salvation depended on that decision, it would become a work you did to earn it, making the message of grace void. Similarly, prayers and fasting are also works you do. So as valuable as they are, they cannot save you.
So, what then saves us? It is grace. Pure grace. 100% grace and 0% works.
While your works will determine the rewards you receive in heaven, they are not the basis for your entry into heaven. Without grace, there is no access to eternal life with God.
Just as there are levels of punishment in hell, there are levels of rewards in heaven. This is why the Bible urges you to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). Some will be entrusted with much to oversee, while others will serve because they did not prioritize building heavenly treasures while on earth.
Salvation is not earned through the works you do on earth. If it were, you could claim in heaven that you worked harder than others to earn your place. But this cannot be, for it is only through the sacrifice of Christ that you have been saved. All glory for your salvation belongs to Him alone.
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Declaration
I was saved by grace through my faith in what Christ did for me and I will make it to heaven not because of any efforts on my part.
Prompts
- Do you truly believe that salvation is by grace alone and not something you can earn through works?
- In what ways do you rely on your faith in Christ as the evidence of His grace rather than a work you’ve done?
- How often do you take time to reflect on and thank God for the unmerited grace that saves you?
- What kind of treasures are you building in heaven through the way you live your life on earth?
- In what ways can you share the message of grace with others who may be striving to earn salvation through their own efforts?
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank You for saving me. Through grace, I have been redeemed, and I believe in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Thank You for imparting Your righteousness into my spirit and for counting me as a candidate for heaven. Help me to live a life that builds up treasures in heaven, and keep me steadfast in my faith. Let me never depart from You.
Amen.
